Description: Funnel-shaped, to nearly 3 cm wide.
Stalk about the same length as calyx
with 8 equidistant arms, each with 30-100 capitatetentacles, arms
alternating with 8 trumpet-shaped marginal anchors
on short stems. With 8 gonads, extending to the ends of the 8 arms;
gonads with numerous round sacs, in regular or irregular rows, extend into
lobes for only about half their length. Subumbrella with or without
folds. Color variable, in shades of green, brown, olive, yellow,
orange, pink, red or purple, with white spots

How to Distinguish from Similar Species: Haliclystus
sp. has marginal anchors which are egg-shaped or trumpet-shaped,
not expanding into broad cups, and with inconspicuous stalks. Its
gonads also nearly reach the ends of the lobes.

Note: H. salpinx is primarily in the North Atlantic.
Records of the species in this area are very sparse and mostly in the San
Juan Islands. It may be that what is locally identified as H.
salpinx is actually an unnamed species (Claudia Mills personal communication).

Geographical Range: North and South Atlantic;
North Pacific from central California to Alaska, northern Japan and China
(but see note above)

Depth Range: Found on a variety of intertidal
and subtidal habitats, sometimes quite abundant.

Habitat: Found commonly on eelgrass, rock,
and algae.

Biology/Natural History: The color of H.
salpinx often matches the color of their substrate (typically rock,
algae, or eelgrass). They feed on small epibenthic
crustaceans.

Larson(1990) assigned the name H. octoradiatus
to the common Haliclystus along the west coast, whereas a Japanese
specialist is planning to revivie the name H. sanjuanensis for individuals
in Washington and British Columbia. H. salpinx is clearly
another species, of limited distribution in the San Jaun Islands, and H.
stejnegeri is a boreal species that occurs from Alaska to northern
Japan.

This species is found at least once a summer on algae in Rosario bay--especially
by the phycology class.

In this view the marginal anchors, as well as the open manubrium
can be clearly seen. Photo by Dave Cowles, June 2005. Note:
This may be another species of Haliclystus.